The Shift

This film is a parallel to Job from the Bible. Truth is, watching this film made me feel like I was being punished. It was that bad. I felt like I was Job. I leaned over to my wife and asked if she wanted to leave the theater. In our fifteen years of marriage I have never done that. The film was too long. Too boring. Too scattered. Didn't make sense. And lacked cohesion and rhythm. It's hard to describe how bad it was. I do like some of the messages portrayed here. But it was essentially a mix of Dr Strange, hallmark, marvel multiverse, and a Christian background. It didn't feel like a sci-fi or a romance or a drama. It didn't know what it was. So it ended up being very poor.

I watched this for about a half hour before I got the religious overtones. Before that it felt very much like a Stephen King book made into film.

The film had a very interesting start that lagged a little when he tried to figure out his new world. The movie draws on stone other film for inspiration, The Book of Eli and the Marvel movies with their multiverse to name but two.

The ending was heartfelt and in these modern times,that is to be applauded.

Is the movie a masterpiece? No Is it worth a watch? Definitely.

There is nothing in the production that is particularly amazing. The acting, direction and cinematography are all passable.

A weird dystopian sci-fi story with a heavy focus on its religiously inspired plot. The story has substance and with strong acting performances and a somewhat realistic 'police state' setting it makes for compelling viewing, but it also overcomplicates itself by trying to fit in too much. The heavy emphasis on religious allegory, romance, drama and action scenes are all good, but I found it to be a bit boring. Some of the subtle special effects were good whereas others looked cheap, the overly loud music drowned out the atmosphere and the ending, whilst expected, felt a bit of a cop out.

6/10.

I had very high expectations for this film and for the most part it completely delivered. Inspired by the book of Job, I feel like it was a unique and creative modern/futuristic retelling. I thought the cast was amazing, however, there could have been a little more character development. We didn't have enough time to begin loving the main character and his relationship with his wife. I still loved it though.

I loved the setting and the darkness of the film, loved the casting, loved the quality of the film, and loved the depth of the storyline. It caused me to ponder the plot long after the movie had ended. The best thing was that it caused me to grab my Bible and look up some things from the book of Job. Well done!

I don't think this movie deserves the low reviews it's getting based on people who cannot entertain the Christian/spiritual themes of the movie. I found it to be refreshing take on sci fi and overall social commentary that leaves you thinking about the world we live in today.

With this said, I wouldn't say it's a great movie, but not because of the content but because of the execution. The concepts are great but at times it feels a bit cheesy or for me and plot points don't quite add up, which reminds me I'm watching a movie. But overall it's Better than a lot of other movies being made now a days with bigger budgets and cast. Once again I'm really impressed with what Angel Studios has achieved.

6.5/10.